The main techniques and approaches of biochemical cytology, resting largely on the combined use of cell fractionation, biochemical analysis, and light and electron microscopy, are applied to a detailed analysis of the activities and properties of lymphocytes in an in vitro cytotoxicity system. We will study the biochemical and cytological events accompanying the differentiation of uncommitted rat lymphocytes into specific cytotoxic cells, and we will follow the kinetics of this process by autoradiography. Special attention will be given to the properties of the cytotoxic lymphocytes, purified by means of zonal centrifugation. A very sensitive assay for cytotoxicity will be used in these studies. The biochemical mechanism that enables cytotoxic lymphocytes to kill tumor cells will be investigated. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Beyer, Carl F. and William E. Bowers (1975). Periodate and concanavalin A induce blast transformation of rat lymphocytes by an indirect mechanism. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 72 3590-3593.